MLS Takes the Spotlight Over MLB, NBA, and NFL After Soccer’s Surge in the USA | OneFootball

Who would've thought that the land of football, where the word usually brings to mind oval balls and touchdowns, would end up falling head over heels for the world’s most popular sport? Well, there’s a name behind it all: Lionel Messi. Since the Argentine maestro landed in Miami, Major League Soccer (MLS) has been living its own Cinderella story.

If sports in the U.S. have always been driven by dollar signs, Messi came in like a cash-printing machine. Last season, MLS led the charge in revenue growth among all major North American leagues, jumping a stunning 18%. And let’s be honest, the presence of the best soccer player on the planet didn’t go unnoticed. He didn’t just pack stadiums; he also boosted sponsorships, TV deals, and sparked a surge in Apple TV+ subscriptions.

But hey, it’s not all about the money. Messi’s arrival brought a whole new energy to soccer in the U.S. There’s something almost mythical about watching Inter Miami with Messi on the field. Tickets vanish in seconds, TV ratings soar, and brands are fighting to get a piece of that pink paradise he’s created in Miami.

And it’s not just a South Florida thing. Messi’s influence stretches far beyond that, from packed stadiums to digital engagement. More than 11 million people turned up to watch MLS regular season games, outpacing last year’s numbers. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, they all saw huge jumps, with growth that’s almost unreal.

Apple TV+, which snagged the exclusive broadcast rights for the league for 10 years at a cool $2.5 billion, started reaping the rewards right away. The day Messi’s arrival was announced, they gained 110,000 new subscribers, and in just one month, that number jumped to nearly 300,000.

In 2025, the “The Messi Experience – A Dream Come True” event will land in São Paulo, after stops in Los Angeles, Miami, and Buenos Aires. This immersive exhibit lets fans relive Messi’s most iconic moments through cutting-edge tech. If this isn’t high-level sports entertainment, I don’t know what is.

Now, before you start wondering if all this hype is over the top, the numbers speak for themselves. MLS has already attracted more fans to its stadiums than big leagues like Bundesliga and La Liga, sitting just behind the Premier League. That’s no small feat, especially for a league that’s mostly been known as the “underdog” within U.S. borders.

Experts are right when they say that Messi isn’t just a player for Inter Miami; he’s an “ambulant advertiser” for all of MLS. Every time he steps on the field, he not only gives his own team visibility, but the opposing team, too. How many hundreds of millions of people around the world follow Messi on social media and apps? Every single one of them now knows about American franchises that were once completely off their radar.

When it comes to sponsorship revenue growth, MLS was the big winner with an 18% increase, followed by MLB at 16%. The NFL, though, still raked in the most total sponsorship dollars, pulling in $2.3 billion in 2024. By the end of last year, MLS had racked up $665 million in sponsorship revenue. Analysts looked at 1,800 brands and 2,500 deals. In overall numbers, MLS came just behind the NHL in North America, which posted an estimated $750 million in sponsorship revenue for this season. If this growth keeps up, it won’t be long before MLS overtakes leagues like MLB, NBA, or even the NFL, something that once seemed unthinkable.

It’s easy to imagine this momentum continuing. Clubs, leagues, and companies are all working together to make the most of this golden moment. Messi’s legacy might just be the one that cements soccer as one of the most significant sports in the U.S., a feat many thought was impossible.